Tony Peniche – No Ordinary Graduate

One thing that has been consistent throughout the evolution of humankind is alcohol. In fact, drinking alcohol is one of the few consistencies found within almost all societies. While attitudes towards alcohol have fluctuated over the centuries, all attempts to prohibit it have led to ignominy. The American experience of Prohibition should serve as an object lesson in this regard. Like it or not, alcohol is ingrained in our social culture, giving people from all walks of life a unifying thread that helps promotes personal connections and shared experiences.

Entrepreneur Tony Peniche is well aware of the enormous impact alcohol has had on bringing people together. It is this awareness that provided the impetus for Whiskey Elements, an innovative product manufactured by Peniche’s Portland-based start-up, Time & Oak. In October 2014, Peniche announced the idea via a Kickstarter campaign, believing it would revolutionize whiskey-drinking culture. Whiskey Elements are small, horizontally laser cut sticks that can enhance the color and taste of any brand of whiskey simply by being placed inside the bottle for 24 hours. The Kickstarter campaign was remarkably successful, raising nearly $195,000 by its close. The following year, Time & Oak signed a multi-million dollar agreement and established a manufacturing plant in northeast Portland. By such ingeniousness and vision does Tony Paniche truly demonstrate that he is no ordinary graduate

However, improving customers’ whiskey quality was not Peniche’s only objective. Like many of his other business pursuits, Peniche wanted to  keep with the true cultural spirit of imbibing and connect with - and give back to - his community. Peniche and the other founders decided to start Project Footprint, a non-profit charity whose aim is to help save the planet. Project Footprint’s vision is to build a co-op community and to develop solutions on how to efficiently conserve land using for-profit practices. For every purchase made through Time & Oak, Project Footprint conserves one square foot of forest land.

Tony Peniche is an exemplary model of how businesses can be financially successful while also providing positive benefits for the communities from which they came. Time & Oak not only provides customers with the unique ability to customize their favorite whiskey no matter their budget, they also give customers the satisfaction of knowing that each of their purchases contributes to the greater good of the community. Find out more about Tony Paniche on LinkedIn.